We are at a crossroads as a school district and a community. Through declining enrollment, cost increases, state underfunding and, yes, past instances of spending beyond our means, our school district is facing record shortfalls. We cannot easily change inflationary factors, nor can we effect legislative changes overnight. We can, however, work on enhancing enrollment through outreach to our friends and neighbors. And we can work on ways to more efficiently provide the programs and opportunities we want our kids to enjoy. I believe our current School Board is committed to “righting the ship” responsibly and creatively.

My greatest concern is declining enrollment. In small school districts such as ours, each child makes a difference to the financial health of our district, since state funding is on a “per student” basis. In addition, all public schools are legally required to provide many essential services which are not fully reimbursed by state or federal governments.

We cannot easily address those situations where a family can no longer afford to live on our beautiful, but expensive, island. Nor can we solve situations where a child with truly unique needs cannot thrive in the public schools. But when I look around our island, I see many great kids (with many great parents) who I wish my daughter could get to know better at our public school. We are an island where individualism is valued, especially in our choices of how we educate our kids. This is our right—but we also need to reflect on how our choices impact our community as a whole.

I very much understand the attraction of seeking to educate a child in a setting with other like-minded parents. But by choosing the public school, I’m giving my daughter the opportunity to learn to get along with a vast range of her island neighbors—whether we worship in the same place, vote the same way, or speak the same language. I also feel happy that we support a safety-net for those same neighbors who are less fortunate than us. I believe this is how we create community.

Of course, all of us need to work to make a happy and safe community for our kids. The onus is not just on parents to seek ways to make a public school education work for their kids. There has to be a commitment on the part of everyone. Our teachers and school administrators need to challenge themselves to respond to the concerns of parents who currently choose to seek alternatives to the public school. We must honor a parent’s concerns regarding their child’s learning style. We must find even better ways to respond quickly and effectively to instances of bullying. We all have to be creative and realize it’s no longer enough to think that past methods are good enough.

Each of us involved with our schools needs to emphasize all that we have and not dwell on what is changing. We have an incredible school with award-winning academics, impressive programs in the arts, and an incredible array of athletic offerings. While we may need to adjust what is offered to kids somewhat, there will still be much we can continue to offer. This month, the school held or will hold its Open House and Harvest Dinner, student art shows, a softball playoff game, and numerous end-of-year music, dance and theatrical performances. For a district our size, this is truly incredible. We have many very talented people working to continue to provide these opportunities to our kids. We must do whatever each of us can to preserve this legacy. We can start by supporting OIEF’s ongoing fundraising efforts, knowing that every dollar will help.

Barb Skotte is President of the Orcas Island PTSA.